were on mankinds for the wrongs,they had suffered in
their persons.;. and were often 1 the çauses pf calamities
ending almost in the ruin of the.state. They had;been
driven, with a few exceptions, on several occasions,:from
the coiirt. Near six thousand of theni were dismls^Éin
the.minority of Caung-shee, .grandfather of Chen-lung;
but they hâté been gradually in'creasing^skicfecthat*,pe-
riodj and hold at present most of the inferior offioes’at
least in the palaces of Pekin and Yuen-min-yuen* |
The qualification for such .offices,-. consists in that operation,
which in a few parts of Europe, is performed ior
meliorating the voiceband disqualifies for being a;parent.
But to be entrusted with the care ofthe ladies ofthecb.ijrfer
or to be alio wed. to approach-to their, apartments,>iL is
necessary' to be what,- without reference.to colo-ur^i. the
Turks are-said to have termed a black -eunuch ,rwhkh
means, that all traces, of sex should completely be^emed.
It may appear surprising to-the English reader, Chat
the operations for this purpose, : however fdelicate- in
themselves, are performed, ;even upon,- Chines'eCof an
adult age, with little accident or peril in respect. |®il*Pb
Such a fact is the more extraordinary, as the-art df surgery
is so little known in China, that not éYen rlettirig
blood by opening a vein is attempted there, add anatomy
is not only unknown, but held in horror. It! is,-however,
to be remarked, that the Chinese recover ;from all
kinds of accidents more rapidly, and after fewer sympr
«toms of any kind qfidanger,! thaii most people'do, in Eu-
.roprii. The constantiand quick recovery;, frord’lhnsider- ^
able arid alarming wounds, hasfehjeen observed likewise,to
take place’ amongrtbe<nativesihffHdnddstan. The’ European
surgeons there/have oftenblentsurprised: at the easy
.'cujefxif sepoys in the English?ser^®e^rbmvaetridfen1'S/^
counted extremely formidayiec^Thn ele^ivandspure atmo-
sphereef China*and India, mayJbddndeed more favourable!
on such deeasions5rthanitb©sga/M?K. ftebicBs^fcedum <©f.Tadi-
tu&V'driseription b£ Great Britain. But thfe habjksfofdfife
contribute, rio doubt,omdsfc to determine* the* riWufceis'fithfe
•Constitution ; and its propensityItoTriflame 4nd nadfftify
inconsequence, as,,,at-&Uechnicallyi;expiBeSsedf>of any
solution of continuity; The /Chinese^ aind Hihdtfosriarp
not {generally prone t€^&@^e^«©fiariiyj.'4.in'd'. The Hin-
d66s,of the lowesfiandlmost numerous|icdsty a&evn'oli Vet
strictqdTrxwn - eating any kind- ofi meatyexceptingnbeef;
but they, and the Chiriese^consume a much sinaller^prtf-
portion of animal-food, and,drank a muchifess quantity
of spirituous and fermented liqurirs'than the people, at
least, jo^nothern Europe.
The operations, undergone by eunuchs/ are^performed
upon subjects oflnVeryMage,* fi?ocpttthildliood to that "ifi-
forty years . It is supposed: that ligatifeesf anointed^ with
a causticJiq;uid,K ar,e>mostly us^da on this;oGCa’&ibntin’pffe-
ference to the knife, Theq^tgenhhas?bsentoften found
foiwalk aj®qad in the,* course of not many days, appa-
VOL. i i . Q q